


Are you here to kill me?

by lola381pce



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, BAMF Melinda May, BAMF Phil Coulson, Clint Barton Swears, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Nick Fury Swears, The West Wing crossover (Mrs Landingham), Threats of Violence, Vampire Feeding, Vampire Phil Coulson, Vampire Violence, violent acts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-18 03:10:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2333078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lola381pce/pseuds/lola381pce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Coulson, wipe that smirk off your face and sit your ass down. Read this,” Fury told him slapping a manila folder on his desk. Senior Vampire Coulson sat on the seat opposite and picked up the paperwork skimming though it picking out the salient points.</p><p>“Melinda May…” he glanced at Vampire Director Fury with a thoughtful expression on his face after studying her picture for a few moments. “So she’s looking into her friend’s death. And you want me to..."</p><p>“Convince her to stop.”</p><p>Coulson nodded and stood taking the file with him before heading off to track down the human who was starting to unravel too much about the vampire world, which he and others at the New York V.L.A.D. Unit (Vampire Location and Activity Discovery) worked very hard to keep secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on my Tumblr blog (lola381pce.tumblr.com) for Day 14 the Philinda AU Challenge which was run by haveievermentioned. 
> 
> The Vampire AU involving the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters might become a "thing". I'm working on another possible chapter at the moment and if it works out okay I'll post it and run this as a series. 
> 
> As always, the characters belong to Marvel and I'm just playing games with them. Please feel free to leave a comment - it's good to know if you enjoyed it and to find out what works for you. Thanks so much for reading.

Senior Vampire Coulson walked silently through the corridors with his usual determined stride. For those junior vampires that quaked as he passed, there were others who did their best not to drool. He was the subject of many a fantasy and today, wearing a dove-grey suit with white shirt and sapphire blue tie, he looked “pretty shaggable” to quote one particularly lustful fledgling in a not so subtle whisper to his colleague. Coulson ignored him but made a mental note to remind him that vampires’ preternatural hearing, like the rest of their senses, only improved with age; something he’d do well to remember in future.

One of the few exceptions to this however appeared to be Vampire Director Fury. As he entered Fury’s outer office Coulson smiled at his secretary, Mrs Landingham, who returned the gesture (she only smiled for three people and Coulson was one of the privileged). She nodded to the open door indicating he should go in and started the timer that sat on her desk. Coulson entered noiselessly and was leaning against the wall with this arms crossed over his chest when the Director looked up and noticed him standing there with a grin plastered to his face.

“Shit, Coulson! Mrs Landingham?” Fury shouted.

“Thirty-eight seconds, Director. He wins again, sir.”

“Goddamn it! Every goddamn time… Are you sure you’re being strict with your time keeping, Mrs Landingham?”

“I’m sure sir and I resent what you’re implying,” she called back then murmured to herself “Although I may or may not just enjoy it a little more than I should.”

“Yes ma’am…and you know that we can hear you, right?”

“I’m aware of that, sir.”

“Coulson, wipe that smirk off your face and sit your ass down. Read this,” Fury told him slapping a manila folder on his desk. Coulson sat on the seat opposite and picked up the paperwork skimming though it picking out the salient points.

“Melinda May…” he glanced at Fury with a thoughtful expression on his face after studying her picture for a few moments. “So she’s looking into her friend’s death.”

“Local PD told me they had it handled.”

Coulson snorted disdainfully indicating what he thought of the local PD, even where they had strategically placed operatives. “Mm hmm. You’ve read her file obviously.”

“Obviously: ex-forces, ex-special ops, ex-alphabet agency, an expert in internet fraud and security currently running her own firm of smart asses and ex-agents called S.H.I.E.L.D. Couldn’t be assed remembering what the acronym meant.”

Coulson ignored the comment knowing full well Fury remembered exactly what it stood for. That he couldn’t be assed saying it was probably more accurate. “And you’re surprised she’s looking into the death of Billy Koenig?”

Fury sighed. “Noooo. Not really. Garrett wasn’t exactly subtle when he killed the guy. Making it look like an accident was nigh on impossible. There aren’t that many packs of wild dogs or lions for that matter roaming around New York City.”

Coulson could only agree. He was the one who made the decision to terminate the vampire for his actions which not only took the life of a human; they also put the vampire world, which he and the others at the New York V.L.A.D. Unit (Vampire Location and Activity Discovery) worked very hard to keep secret, at serious risk of being revealed to the human world.

“And you want me to…?”

“Convince her to stop.”

Coulson nodded and stood taking the file with him. “Yes, sir.”

“Pick up Barton and Romanoff on your way out. You might need the back up on this one.”

Coulson turned and raised an eyebrow in his best “Really?” expression.

“Hey! I said might!” Fury protested at the look. He smirked knowing his suggestion would bug Coulson as much as Coulson sneaking into his office without him picking up on it bugged him.

***

As requested by Fury, Coulson stopped in past his office where Barton and Romanoff were sitting waiting for his return. Well Romanoff was sitting Barton had his head in her lap sprawled the full length of the couch firing paper darts into Coulson’s waste paper basket with his eyes closed.

“C’mon kids. Collect your gear.”

Barton rolled over and bounced onto his feet suddenly full on energy while Romanoff stood up gracefully and stretched in one fluid movement.

“We going on a field trip, sir?” Barton asked grinning.

“Melinda May,” he told them.

The smile fell from the archer’s face and the assassin raised an eyebrow at him. This was going to be… interesting…explosive…a complete and utter shit storm.

***

Coulson stood at the bottom of the stairs as Melinda locked the door to her office building. Trying not to startle her, he gently called out her name. “Ms May?”

Melinda froze but kept her back to the stranger swapping her keys to her left hand, replacing them with her handheld crossbow. Her heart raced in her chest – so they’d finally sent someone. She hadn’t even heard him approach. Damn vampires! “Are you here to kill me?”

Giving him no time to respond, she spun round and fired the crossbow. As soon as Coulson heard the click he turned to the side and leaned back resulting in the bolt skimming over his chest. Had he remained in his original position, it would have entered his heart. It was unlikely to kill him, not with Clint and Natasha nearby, but it would have made a conversation awkward. Before she could load another Coulson was on top of her, his body pressed against her pushing her against the door pinning her hands above her head.

“Do you always greet visitors this way?” he growled into her ear.

“Depends if the visitor is welcome or not.” Melinda shoved against him but it was like trying to move a statue. With a quick flick of his wrist Coulson disarmed her dropping the crossbow to the ground and kicked it away. Apart from a sharp stab of pain in her hand for a second, she was unharmed. It could just have easily been her neck.

“I’m not here to hurt you, Ms May, but I will defend myself as necessary. If I let you go, will you show me the same courtesy?”

Melinda narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. Despite the gravity of his words, he gave her a somewhat lop-sided grin. Other than that she couldn’t see anything in his expression that would cause her to believe he was lying although never having dealt with a vampire first hand until now, she really had nothing to compare it to – he could be lying his ass off and she wouldn’t know until it was too late. She considered her options; she might not be able to take him out using her hand-to-hand skills, he was obviously far stronger, but she had plenty of weaponry made of sliver hidden about her person that might slow him down in order for her to do something more permanent. Her face remaining unreadable, she reluctantly raised her chin in a nod of agreement. 

Slowly Coulson released her but remained in her personal space. Keeping his eyes on hers, he pulled the knot out of his tie leaving it loose around his neck and began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt. May watched him incredulously her years of training only just managing to stop her jaw from dropping. Instead, keeping her expression neutral, she raised an eyebrow. What the hell was he doing!

“What the fuck is he doing?” Barton asked of Romanoff as he watched from his perch.

“Either being very clever or very stupid,” she replied also watching the interaction but from ground level. With Coulson she figured it would be the former.

When his shirt was almost completely undone he opened it to reveal a large, jagged scar that ran through the dark hairs on his chest just about where his heart would be. Gently he took her hand and held it against the wound in an oddly intimate gesture for two strangers never mind a vampire and a human. She stiffened beneath his touch until curiosity overtook her aversion of him, of his kind. Whatever had caused the scar must have been agonising; the wound itself looked as though it should have been fatal. If he had survived that, her bolt would have had no effect. She ran her fingers over the raised tissue surprised at how warm he was. He felt…normal.

“I understand your reaction with the crossbow, and as a sign of good faith I’m showing you that it doesn’t always work.” He paused for a beat. “Can we perhaps go somewhere to talk?” When he spoke his voice was low and gravelly and she felt herself flush. Then remembering what he was and why he was here, she snatched her hand away and glared at him.

“The same way your friend “talked” to mine?” she snarled.

Coulson dropped his gaze momentarily, saddened but not surprised by her outburst. He inclined his head and looked at her again his eyes full of regret. “I’m sorry for your loss. His death…”

“Murder.”

Coulson nodded accepting her correction. “Mr Koenig’s murder is why I’m here.”

“You want to stop me looking into it.”

“Yes…but I will answer any questions you may have to help you do that.”

“Does that include how you’ve managed to corrupt the local police department?”

“If that’s what you want to call it.”

“That’s what it is,” she insisted. “They tried to cover up what really happened.”

Melinda was knocked off her stride. She wasn’t expecting any of this. She wasn’t expecting him to admit Billy’s murder; she wasn’t expecting his honesty; she wasn’t expecting to still be alive. She figured when they sent someone to “discuss” his death it would be to end her life. No, she wasn’t expecting any of this. She sighed suddenly tired. “Okay. Where?”

“I will abide by your choice, Ms May.”

“You know what, here’s just fine,” and she sat on the stoop.

Coulson raised an eyebrow. “I would have sprung to the Patty’s Tacos, if you’d asked.”

Melinda stared at him in disbelief then rolled her eyes. Despite herself huffed out a short laugh. Coulson smiled gently while fastening his shirt again, re-knotting the tie in a perfect Windsor.

“I guess the tie thing worked after all,” Barton commented relaxing the tension in the bow string before lowering the bow resting it across his legs.

“Did you really think it wouldn’t, Little Bird?” retorted Romanoff putting the safety back on her handgun returning it to its holster on her thigh.

“Meh!”

Melinda and Coulson sat in silence for a few moments in similar positions; both with elbows on knees but with Melinda gripping her forearms and Coulson with fingers interlaced.

“The vampire who murdered Mr Koenig is dead.”

She stilled. “How do you know that?”

“I killed him,” he said simply.

Melinda turned her head to look at him but his gaze remained fixed on his feet. She noted a flicker of pain crossing his face for a second, gone almost before she registered it. Feeling her eyes on him he turned his head towards her.

“I get the feeling you knew him.”

“He was my nest brother. We were sired by the same vampire,” he clarified as she looked uncertain. “He was older by a few months.”

She couldn’t say she was sorry because she wasn’t. If it was true then she was glad he was dead and hoped it had been painful, excruciatingly so. It seemed insensitive to ask so she didn’t. Instead she said, “Oh. That must have been…difficult.” She cringed inwardly at the banality of her words. Outwardly however her face remained impassive. Her expression gave nothing away.

Coulson shrugged either not noticing or not caring. “He took a human’s life; there was no other option.”

She considered that for a moment. Skye’s research had indicated that vampire justice could be swift and harsh but she didn’t realise just how severe until this moment. Of course her computer genius hacker’s research was based on urban fantasy/horror books, tv shows and movies; there wasn’t exactly a genuine vampire rule book that she was aware of so she couldn’t exactly tell fact from fiction.

“But why you?”

He returned his gaze to his shoes before answering. “He was my responsibility.” Again the simple answer surprised her as did his apparent honesty.

“How did you know he did it?” And before she could think it through she asked, “How do I know you did?”

“It’s what I do, Ms May. I investigate vampire crimes and enforce our laws. Without going in to reasons, there was no doubt in my mind John did it. He took a human life; it was my job to take his. I understand your reluctance to trust me; if I were in your position I would feel exactly the same. If I was trying to get you to stop investigating, and I am, telling you the culprit was dead would be a good start. But somehow I don’t think you’re the type of person to give up that easily. You’ll either believe me or you won’t.”

They fell into silence again. After a few moments Melinda turned to him, “Buy me a Crazy Burrito at Patty’s, Mr…”

Coulson inclined his head towards her and quirked his mouth up in a small grin which creased the corner of his eyes. He held out his hand as he replied, “Phil.”

She paused for a second then took his hand and shook it. “Melinda.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HYDRA makes an appearance...and Phil goes missing.

"Hey boss. Lookin’ sharp as always,” Darcy told Senior Vampire Coulson glancing up briefly from her tablet as she entered his office.

“Good evening, Ms Lewis, sounding impertinent as always. May I ask what’s piqued your interest?” Coulson enquired gesturing towards her computer.

“There’s a new male strip club that’s opened up recently, I was thinking of checking it out with Mrs Landingham after work.”

“Diss Mrs Landingham at your pearl, Ms Lewis, I guarantee she still has the capacity to surprise you. She was a bit of wild child in her youth.”

“You knew Mrs L when she was young? Wow! Seriously, how old  _are_ you?”

He raised an eyebrow and smiled enigmatically refusing to say any more on either subject. “So work wise…?”

“Ahhh! Work wise… What do you know about HYDRA?”

Before she could blink, Coulson had crossed the room, closed the door and pulled her to him. She squeaked forgetting the speed at which he could move and let go of her tablet; he caught it before it hit the ground causing her to emit another squeak. Sometimes she also forgot she was working for a vampire.

Coulson apologised to her realising he’d probably startled her with his reaction; sometimes he forgot the preternatural speed of a vampire could be a bit overwhelming for humans. Sometimes, with Darcy’s complete lack of fear of him, he forgot she  _was_ a human.

“I assume you’re not talking about the mythical creature?”

“Hey who knows if they’re mythical or not; up until a few years ago I thought vampires were legends from urban fantasy books and horror movies.” Darcy came to work for Coulson after she witnessed a vampire feeding when she was at college. The feeding had been with a willing donor but the sighting by Darcy was unintentional and had been reported by the vampire as required by V.L.A.D. regulations.  

The senior vampire had been called in to investigate and blank her memory. When he caught up with her she’d thrown her i-Pod at him yelling "It's my first year! I was afraid that I was gonna be behind in all my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I would have last month's hair. I didn't think there'd be vampires on campus."

Coulson deftly caught the mp3 player, crushed it in his hand and grinned at her knowing he wasn’t going to blank her memory; he had a much better use for the spirited Ms Lewis. He spent the rest of the night discussing vampire folklore, debating if a vampire could be good or if it was a demon at the core and the politics of vampires and humans existing side by side. By the end of the night he’d convinced her join him at V.L.A.D. which she finally agreed to after negotiating terms that included V.L.A.D. sponsoring her university political science studies and a new state-of-the-art i-Pod. Neither of them had ever had cause to regret the decision…until now.

Coulson nodded conceding her point. He gestured for her to continue.

“It turned up in a search I was running on something Melinda was asking about. There seems to be a link between HYDRA, V.L.A.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“Does Melinda know what you found?”

“Not yet. I came to you first.”

Coulson fell silent and Darcy watched as he thought about what she’d told him. There was a slight change to the colour of his eyes which, along with his features, had begun to harden; that worried her more than anything. Although her boss was serious he often showed a pretty wicked, if dry, sense of humour but when he fell quiet like this is usually meant something was up.

When Coulson next spoke it was with a quiet, calm voice she knew well; a voice that had the power to either reassure a troubled soul or win over a confused mind.  It was the voice that had convinced her to join him several years ago. “Darcy, I need to you go to Director Fury’s office and show him everything you’ve discovered. Head straight there; don’t stop off, don’t talk to anyone. When you see Mrs Landingham tell her ‘ _Coulson couldn’t possibly support Bartlet for President’._ Do you understand?”

Her eyes wide, and just a little fearful, she nodded.

“Repeat it to me.”

“’ _Coulson couldn’t possibly support Bartlet for President._ ’”

“Good, Darcy. Now go and when you get there, you stay there. Don’t leave for anyone unless Mrs Landingham says otherwise.”

Shit! He’d called her Darcy twice now. “This is serious isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he replied simply and kissed her gently on the forehead then he smiled that reassuring and completely disarming smile he had. “But it’ll be okay. Now go.”

She desperately wanted to believe him; that things weren’t as bad as they were in her head and turned to leave when he added a sentence that chilled her to the bone. “Darcy, I won’t be coming with you. I need you tell Director Fury something for me.”

She looked at him panic-stricken. Fuck! He made it sound so final.

“Tell him ‘ _The Red Queen was right_ .’”

Again she nodded and this time repeated with out his asking. She threw her arms around him and gave him a hug that would likely have crushed the ribs of a lesser man. He returned it carefully holding onto her for a moment. If she was harmed during any of this, he would kill the vampire (or human) who touched her; slowly and without mercy. Abruptly and with a giant sniff, she pushed herself away from him and left to follow his instructions.

Knowing he would have very little time as Darcy’s search would likely have triggered some kind of alert set by HYDRA techs, Phil was not idle while he waited for his phone to ring which he knew without doubt it would. Quickly and efficiently he called three trusted vampires and said the same words each time before hanging up, “ _The Red Queen was right_ .”

Then as predicted, and in less than a minute after the outgoing calls, his phone rang. Seeing the number on the display, Coulson allowed himself a small smile. Darcy had made it to her destination without incident and, if nothing else, he knew at least Fury’s office was now on lockdown and they would be safe. No-one would get in without Mrs Landingham’s permission and there were only two people she would open that door for willingly and without question. Anyone else would have to convince her of his and Fury’s deaths.

“I’m really not very happy you feel you can’t vote for Mr Bartlet, sir – very disappointed.” And it appeared to be true as he could hear the break in her voice as she spoke.

“I’m sorry, Dolores. You be safe now.”

“You too, Phillip.”

He’d known Fury’s secretary for most of her seventy-one years since the Director had brought her to the V.L.A.D. sponsored orphanage in New York after her parents and been killed by a rogue vampire. After he’d despatched their killer, he’d taken an interest in her watching her grow from a shy and retiring child to a young woman who was wild and carefree; saw her fall in love, marry and have twin sons only to lose them both along with her husband years later, all before their time, all while serving their country. She’d lost much of that spirit without them but she had changed into a gruff but caring mother-figure to all who worked at the New York V.L.A.D. Unit. Like him she both terrified and comforted in equal measure. Coulson always knew he’d out live Dolores Landingham, she’d never wanted to be turned “I’d prefer to join my family when the time comes, Phillip,” (one of the handful of times she ever called him by his first name) but it hurt him to think it might be now, in this way. Again, no quarter would be given if she did not survive the night.

For the last time, he lifted the phone and entered the number he knew by heart.

“Are you alone?”

In her office Melinda smiled warmly. “Why? Are you going talk dirty to me?”

“The Red Queen was right.”

Her breath caught for a second but otherwise she gave no reaction, continuing with her conversation. “Really Phil, Trip and Ward are with me right now and I don’t think this would be an appropriate conversation to have in front of them. What are  _you_ wearing?”

Trip looked at Ward grinning from ear to ear whereas Ward looked decidedly uncomfortable but then he always did when sex was mentioned.

“I don’t know who you can count on so when you get off the phone, go to the place we talked about. Someone I know and trust will find you.”

This was it, Melinda thought; everything they’d discussed that night at Patty’s Burritos was actually happening – V.L.A.D. and, going by Phil’s reaction, possibly even S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA. Darcy’s search must have turned up something that troubled her enough to go to Phil before she contacted her. “Seriously, Phil I don’t know that I want the guys to hear this. I’m gonna hang up unless you’re phoning for a reason.”

“I need you to gauge a reaction from them. Tell them the truth; that I’m following up a lead, some sort of corrupt organisation within V.L.A.D. Give them a name anything except the real one. See who looks relieved and get away from him as soon as possible. He’s your wolf in the herd.”

She let the pretence drop. “Okay…I can do that. Promise me you’ll let me know what you find out.”

Phil sensed someone approaching his office and hung up before hearing Melinda’s reply but he trusted her to keep herself safe now that he’d warned her. He turned to face his assailant just as his chest exploded in a mist of red as the bullets struck him. The last thing he heard as he fell to his knees was a voice he recognised saying, “Hail HYDRA, you son of a bitch.”

***

“That sounded cosy,” said Trip with a smirk.

“Could have been cosier if you two hadn’t been here,” she snarked back at him.

Ward just stood shuffling his feet embarrassed by the whole episode. The thought of May with Coulson sickened him. He tried not to let it show but his lip curled up slightly at the corner and his eyes went dead, like a shark’s. As Melinda noticed his expression she was saddened because even though she was sure neither man would side with the vampires that had been led by John Garrett, the same vampire that had murdered their friend Billy Koenig, it probably meant of the pair, Trip was the lying, two-faced sack of shit that Coulson was afraid existed within S.H.I.E.L.D. However outwardly she showed no emotion.

“Didn’t realise you were so into the vampire dude,” Trip continued the grin not leaving his face.

She smiled and shook her head. “He does it because he knows it annoys me. I like to play along because I like to believe it messes with his head.”

“Uh-huh,” he replied sceptically.  “So what else was he talking about? Sounded like he asked you something serious…ew! Or should I not ask?”

May raised an eyebrow and smirked, which pulled another bulldog chewing a wasp look from Ward. He sighed dramatically and both she and Trip rolled their eyes.

“Relax, man,” Trip told him trying not to laugh. “It’s only sex. Hey is vampire sex as hot as I’ve heard?” He turned back to May and looked at her expectantly. It was her turn to sigh.

“Seriously? You scare me sometimes. Moving on, Coulson told me he was following up at lead at his end to do with Billy’s murder; apparently though it goes deeper than that. He thinks there may be some sort of conspiracy within V.L.A.D.”

“Do you know what he’s found out?” asked Trip suddenly grim.

“Just a name; The Ten Rings.”

Trip’s eyebrows knitted together and he nodded thoughtfully. However, with Ward the tension slipped from his face and his body seemed to relax a notch. Melinda just managed to hold the neutral expression. Fuck! Coulson had been right, there  _was_ a wolf in the herd and it was Ward. It was  _Ward_ ! That son of a bitch! She wondered if during that brief period when they’d been fucking if he’d been handing information over to HYDRA? Was he the one that tipped them off about Billy and what he was working on? Did he get Billy killed? Oh my god!

Her heart was racing but with more control than she ever believed possible Melinda said, calmly “I’d like for us to help him out with this. I know neither of you are big on working with vampires but I really need one of you to go to Coulson at V.L.A.D. HQ tonight. He didn’t want to give me information over the phone and I have some things I need to follow up on this end.”

“I don’t like it,” Ward agreed barely keeping the excitement from his voice. This was exactly where he needed to be. “…but I’ll go. Just don’t expect me to hold back if I find something I don’t like.”

She nodded and thanked him tasting the bile in the back of her throat as she said the words. When she and Coulson talked about the possibility of a traitor in their midst this was the reaction they expected; he’d go to his HYDRA contact at V.L.A.D. and give him or her, the new information at the first opportunity. She, in the meantime would go to the train station with Trip and try to gauge whether or not he could be trusted or if he was another HYDRA collaborator within her team. She sincerely hoped not because if he was, he was going to die tonight along with that rat bastard Ward if she had her way.

“Okay, good. You’d better get going. Trip, you’re with me.”

Both men nodded and as the other two left, Ward smiled knowing tonight was the night HYDRA would destroy V.L.A.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. in one fell swoop and HYDRA would be back to its former glory. He’d become vampire and he wouldn’t have to suffer May and the weakling Coulson or any of the rest of their self-righteous, pathetic group again. He could be what he truly was and have whomever he wanted. He walked over to Melinda’s desk where a group photo of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team sat and ran his finger over the image of Skye. There was only one person he truly wanted and after he was turned she’d be his and  _nothing_ would stop him from having her…not even her. Hail HYDRA!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The words Darcy speaks to Coulson when she throws her i-Pod at him are from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' season one although Buffy actually says "It's my first day!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senior Vampire Coulson is a BAMF... and the V.L.A.D. Unit kicks ass.

Coulson always hoped it would happen; he just didn’t plan on it happening like this with him naked and helpless, chained up in the enemy’s lair.

“Melinda I can’t” Phil told her weakly, the muscles straining as he clenched and unclenched his jaw, his hunger battling with his conscience. He couldn’t,  _wouldn’t_ hurt her even though he’d been drained of perhaps two thirds of his blood, stolen by his captors in the hours that they’d held him. The blood of a vampire of his age was much sought after and there had been no shortage of willing participants to drink from him as could be verified from the bites on his body they hadn’t bothered to hide. Despite being restrained by chains made of silver links when he woke after being shot prior to his capture, he’d fought for as long as possible killing and injuring several until he’d finally been subdued as the chemical element burned into his skin and slowly drained his strength.

“Phil, I’m not asking.” She swept the hair from her neck bearing her throat to him. His thirst was crying out for him to sink his fangs into the vein that pulsed steadily and drain her dry but stubbornly he closed his eyes and shook his head refusing to drink.

She rolled her eyes. “Vampire, you’re no use to me half dead,” then realising what she said, she blushed and added, “You know what I mean.”

Despite his exhaustion and pain, his face broke into that lop-sided grin she’d come to adore. “I’m only mostly dead, Melinda. ‘ _There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive_ ’.”

“Oh great! ‘The Princess Bride’ from you right now is all I need. Just drink, idiot!”

Finally he agreed, unable to deny himself any longer but he had one stipulation. “Not your throat. I’ll have more control if you give me your wrist.”

She thought for a second accepting the sense in his words then dropped her hair back in place pulling back the sleeve of her tac-suit instead. Before giving him her wrist she made to remove the chains holding him down.

“No. Leave them,” he told her sharply, more harshly than he’d intended but it was important she realised she shouldn’t unchain him not until his thirst had been dampened at least.

Frowning, she looked at the criss-cross of burns to his wrists, ankles and chest where the silver had touched his skin. “Won’t you heal quicker?”

“Yes but if I can’t stop…” he let the rest of the sentence hang.

“Dammit Phil, enough with being an idiot.” And she used the cutters to snap through the links. As the chains fell to the ground a surge of energy ran through him and his fangs dropped with an urgent need to drink. He sat up and swung his legs round to face her. As he did so he curled his hands into fists, his nails digging into his palms to stop himself from grabbing her and quenching the thirst that was almost driving him insane. A younger vampire would have ripped her throat out by now.

Even in his weakened state, the power Phil exuded as a vampire was menacing and for a few seconds as Melinda looked at him, she almost regretted her decision to free him; she realised she would have no chance if his control faltered. His normally affable expression had changed to something completely feral as his vampire nature took over now that he’d been released from his bonds. His eyes changed from their normal striking blue to almost violet in their appearance. It was both startling and breathtaking to see.

She felt a mix of fear, complete and utter terror, and an almost overwhelming desire as his eyes burned into hers. At complete odds with frightening creature within, Phil gently lifted her hand placing the inside of her wrist against his mouth.

“Are you sure?” he asked her, his breath ghosting across the sensitive skin causing her to shiver.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

“It will hurt at first but I’ll make it as painless as I can. If it becomes too much, if you feel light-headed you must tell me. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

His eyes never leaving hers Phil carefully punctured the skin sinking his fangs into the vein and began to drink lapping at the blood pouring from her wrist. He couldn’t hold back a groan of ecstasy as the first draught of her blood flooded his mouth hitting his tongue and running down the back of his throat.

A gasp escaped Melinda’s lips as she felt the pull of his mouth and tongue where he sucked at the wound. It ran a very fine line between pain and pleasure and she could feel the heat spreading from the pit of her stomach to between her legs as she became aroused. Her pupils dilated as he continued to lap the blood from her, her heart rate increasing, her breath becoming ragged.

He pulled her to him, between his legs, one hand resting on the small of her back the other clamping her wrist against his mouth. She closed her eyes wrapping her free arm around him caught up in the almost sensual experience he was providing as he drank. She had no idea if it was deliberate or otherwise but it felt so good, so very good. There was no pain any more, only feelings of well-being and a slight light-headedness. Wait…what did he say about that? About being light-headed?

“Phil?”

Either he didn’t hear her or he didn’t care as held her tighter, his mouth drawing the blood from her wrist.

More urgently she spoke his name. “Phil!”

Still he drank. With a sick feeling she realised it was happening; the loss of control he had feared. She pushed against his shoulder but she could feel herself weakening as he took more and more of her blood.

“Phil, stop.”

Abruptly the pull on her wrist ceased and his hands dropped away from her. Somehow she managed to get through to him breaking his feeding trance and for that she was very, very grateful.

“I’m sorry, Melinda, so very sorry.”

Melinda leaned down and pressed her cheek against his crown cupping the back of his head with her hand. She didn’t speak. He had scared her for the first time since the night they met and she wasn’t sure what to do about that. He had been right when he told her to leave the chains in place but she hadn’t realised jus how dangerous he was. She’d never seen that side of him, in truth she’d almost begun to forget he  _was_ a vampire; a stupid, stupid mistake that could have cost her life. 

Phil leaned his head into her shoulder as she held him close and wrapped his arms round her devastated that he’d almost hurt her irreparably. He would never have forgiven himself if he’d killed her; he’d come so close to losing control completely. It was only the urgency in her voice as she told him to stop that brought him back again.

Coulson could feel the rage building inside him as he thought about what he’d nearly done; he had to get out of the room and let it go. Melinda could feel it through her hands as his body steadily tensed up. His muscles weren’t carefully structured like Ward or Trip but he’d obviously been a man of action before he was turned as his shoulders and back, already broad and firm, filled out beneath her touch. She backed away when he stood up. The violet of his eyes was even more pronounced as he looked at her, a feral look spreading across his features.

“We have to leave now.”

Trying to gain some control of herself, Melinda raised an eyebrow at him. “I agree, Coulson but you’re kind of…well…naked,” she commented drily. As she ran her eyes over his body, trying not to let them linger in any one place, she noted that the burns, bites and cuts which had littered his body, were fading.

He narrowed his eyes and grinned which sent a chill through her. “That’s precisely the point.” He reached up touching her face gently, his own features softening for a moment. “Forgive me, Melinda, this will not be pleasant. Try not to be afraid…and keep behind me. Do I have your word?”

Suddenly unable to speak, she nodded.

Coulson guided her behind him as his fangs once more dropped down and together they headed for the door just as Clint appeared.

“Hey boss, nice suit. Want me to take her? Whoa! I’ll take that as a no then,” he wise-cracked holding his hands up in a placating gesture as Coulson snarled at him pulling Melinda close to him. She pushed him indignantly annoyed that he’d sought to protect her and he began to relax.

“Apologies, Hawkeye. No, I need you and The Black Widow to continue your sweep. We need to find Alexander Pierce. He’s the one controlling HYDRA.”

“Cut off the head? I can work with that.” Holding out his arm he asked, “You thirsty?”

“Thank you but it will be taken care of soon enough. Go, I’ll catch up with you shortly.” And with that Barton was gone.

"Do you know where we’re going?” Melinda asked settling in behind Phil again as they started down the corridor.

“More or less but Barton’s right, I need to feed more fully before we go.” As if summoned by his words two HYDRA operatives ran into them. Once again, Coulson snarled. He reached out to them both grabbing them by the throat and pulling them towards him. The one in his right hand he drained first, quickly and efficiently, while the second flailed around like a fish on a line. When he finished he threw the body against the wall where it hit with a sickening crunch.

Melinda shivered uncertain as to why. Since a mission in Bahrain had gone as wrong as it possibly could, it wasn’t easy to make her either sickened or horrified so she settled on fascinated. In comparison with the way he was dispatching HYDRA agents, Coulson had been positively gentle with her she thought as the second one went the way of the first landing in a broken heap by his associate.

Another three appeared from further along the corridor. This time they stopped short of the pair’s position but hesitated long enough for Coulson to reach them before they were able to get off any rounds. He snapped the necks of two of them, dropping them to the ground but the third, Brock Rumlow, Phil’s captor, he held and watched as he tried to wriggle free. The man pulled a knife from a sheath at his back and slashed at the vampire and then whimpered when he saw the cuts closing as the skin on his chest repaired almost immediately; Coulson was more or less back to full strength. With a lazy twist of his hand he snapped Rumlow’s wrist forcing him to scream and drop the knife.

Coulson cocked his head to the side and growled, “Not so easy when I’m not chained and weak.”

A noise, somewhere between a giggle and a groan escaped Rumlow’s lips. “I caught you easy enough. The Great Senior Vampire Phillip J Coulson; captured in a matter of seconds by a lowly human. Not so fucking tough after all.”

Coulson huffed out his own laugh. “You caught me because I wanted it.”

The man snorted disdainfully but as he looked at the calm yet amused smirk on Coulson’s face, he frowned. Fuck! The vampire was telling the truth.

“We needed to know where HYDRA was holed up. The best way to do that was to have me captured and you were the best candidate for the job. Your arrogance and desperation to be turned would make you careless... and it worked. The stake and the silver chains were a nice touch though. Truth be told, it did slow things down a bit. “

Rumlow’s eyes opened wide, suddenly afraid as Coulson pull his face close to his own while he began to apply pressure to the human’s throat.

“You nearly caused me to take the life of someone I care about, deeply care about. I just wish I had more time to show you how much that’s angered me… I would have made your death slow and painful.”

As Coulson spoke, Rumlow gripped his forearm in his two hands desperately trying to break the grip that was crushing his windpipe.  Panicked, he looked into Coulson’s violet eyes and saw only death, his death. The blood in his ears began to roar and his vision blurred round the edges as the vampire squeezed tighter depriving him of oxygen.  The pain was excruciating as Coulson’s fingers dug into his throat until, with a final twist of his hand, he tore through the skin sending spurts of blood over the walls and himself as he threw the HYDRA operative’s words back in his face, “Fuck HYDRA, you son of a bitch” before dropping his lifeless body to the ground.

Melinda looked on unable to speak. She had watched Coulson kill five men in twice as many minutes. It was necessary she knew; she’d killed numerous times herself when she had to but the calm efficiency with which he did it both frightened her and aroused her. She moved slowly towards him as he turned back to face her. His mouth, neck and chest were crimson with blood which glistened in the lights of the corridor. She touched one hand to his face the other pressed against his chest. He took the hand that rested against his cheek and held her fingers to his mouth brushing his lips against them acknowledging the change that had occurred between them. Suddenly Coulson growled, exposing his fangs and moved in front of her. She’d heard nothing but a few seconds later more people arrived in the corridor. One of them was Blake.

“Well, Coulson, you  _have_ been a busy boy. Planning on taking the whole of HYDRA down by yourself?” he drawled. “Like the outfit by the way.”

Once again, recognising an ally and one of the three he’d called back at V.L.A.D. HQ, Coulson relaxed. “Good to see you too, old friend. What’s the situation?”

“We’re taking the building floor by floor. There’s a hell of a lot of them but they’re either dropping like flies…“ and at that he tipped his head to Coulson’s body count in the corridor, “… or running like pussies. I see you found Rumlow. Glad you took  _that_ bastard out.”

Coulson nodded in full agreement. “Any news of Pierce?”

Blake grinned. “Last report was he’s in the penthouse office suite. I guess that’s where you’re going next?” He signalled for one of his team to come forward. Slinging his crossbow across his back, he reached into the holdall that she carried and pulled out a Kevlar vest, a black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans along with a towel and bottle of water. “Thought you might have lost the suit somewhere along the line. This’ll do for now. Yeah, I know you want to do the whole dominance thing and face him naked but hell, Coulson, you’re not supposed to do it with a hard on…impressive as it is.”

Both Melinda and Coulson’s eyes dropped to his crotch where his cock was standing hard against his stomach. Between the infusions of blood, the kills and Melinda’s touch apparently he had also become aroused. Melinda bit her lip and managed to hold back the grin that threatened to escape. Without shame in the slightest Coulson raised an eyebrow and smirked. He nodded and took the water from Blake pouring it over himself then wiped the worst of the blood off with the towel. He pulled the jeans on next, finishing off with the t-shirt and vest.

As Coulson cleaned himself and dressed, Blake put his hand back into the bag and pulled out a bottle of fresh orange juice which he gave to Melinda guessing correctly that she’d given her blood to Coulson earlier. She nodded her thanks and downed half the bottle in several long gulps. Having donated blood for wounded friends when she was in the army, she knew that she had to replace fluids and sugar as quickly as possible and she was grateful Blake had thought of it.

Dressed, the senior vampire turned to Blake, accepting the radio and earpiece he held out, then briskly instructed him to take Melinda back to V.L.A.D.  HQ. She protested heavily but he was having no argument. He gestured for the other vampire and his team to give them a few minutes and they retreated along the hall a little. Even though they could hear every word it gave the illusion of privacy.

“Phil, I’m not…”

“Yes, you are,” he said gently taking her hand in his stroking her palm with the pad of his thumb. “I know how strong you are. I know what you had to do to get here and save my sorry ass. But when I took your blood in that room…” he paused and frowned at the memory. “…I took too much and it’s weakened you more that you realise. I can’t focus properly if I have to think about your safety. Please, Melinda. Go back V.L.A.D. with Blake.”

His manner was easy-going as he spoke to her but there was an undercurrent that she couldn’t ignore. She desperately wanted to be with him, to be at his side when he took the head of/off HYDRA but she knew he was right. She was still feeling light-headed and her reaction times would be compromised which would endanger them both. She could also read between the lines to understand what he wasn’t saying; he wanted…no needed her to be safe.

Regretfully, Melinda let go of Coulson’s hand and moved to stand with Blake. The two vampires exchanged looks neither needing to speak; Coulson’s said ‘If she dies, so do you’, Blake’s response was ‘Fuck my life! I know’.  Blake and his group with Melinda beside him turned back the way they came and Coulson headed for the stairwell and the penthouse. No-one looked back.

***

As Coulson reached the floor of the of Pierce’s office suite, he was met by Hawkeye and The Black Widow.

“Hey, Boss,” grinned Barton. “Found some clothes, pity…it was a good look.” Romanoff merely nodded in greeting as she slapped the back of her partner’s head. He rubbed it and pouted to which Natasha rolled here eyes.

Coulson simply ignored them. He was used to their antics after several decades and ignoring them was second nature to him now. He nodded towards the door of Pierce's office. “He in there?”

Again Romanoff nodded and added, “Alone.” That could mean anything but he presumed it meant that anyone guarding the office had been taken care of by the pair.

Pierce started at the sudden interruption as Phil threw open the doors to the office of the Director and Chairman of HYDRA Enterprises.  Through the research that Darcy had been uncovering along with Billy Koenig’s original findings, V.L.A.D. had now confirmed that the company which had inordinate resources, both financial and physical, with a multitude of offices world-wide, had been devising a plan that would bring vampires to the forefront of society, pushing humans to a level of little more than a food source. V.L.A.D. on the other hand was dedicated to keeping the vampire nation undisclosed to the masses, living instead side-by-side with humans with controlled feeding from volunteer donors as they had done for hundreds of years.

“Sorry, Director, did I catch you at a bad time?” Coulson asked casually as he entered the room flanked by the other two. Pierce had been disposing of incriminating evidence and throwing documents along with passports and money into a briefcase before the vampire arrived. His actions had not escaped Coulson’s notice. He moved closer to the company principal, as Barton and Romanoff stopped just inside the door waiting for any commands that Coulson many have.

Trying to appear nonchalant but with beads of blood-sweat appearing on his upper lip and forehead, betraying his fear at the appearance of the vampire in front of him, Pierce spoke. “Senior Vampire Coulson, I see you’ve managed to escape your confines.”

“Apparently so. I have a complaint about room service. I thought you’d appreciate me letting you know in person.”

Pierce’s shock at the vampire’s evident return to near full strength was obvious. “It seems I rather underestimated you. It would appear that your reputation is genuine and not some exaggerated vampire myth.”

Unimpressed by the other vampire’s attempt at flattery, Coulson sighed. “Yeah…I get that a lot. So Director, planning on going somewhere now that your little empire has come crashing down?”

“It will be rebuilt – cut off the head and two will grow in its place. There are many like-minded others in positions of power who believe the same as me; humans are worthless cattle. We are superior in every way to them. It’s our right to use them as we wish. Who are you to try and stop us?”

“It’s an old argument, Pierce and frankly, it’s still bullshit. Save your sermon for someone who gives a damn.”

“So you’re just going to kill me.”

“ _I’m_ not,” and with that Coulson turned his back on the head of HYDRA nodding to The Black Widow as he left the room. She moved forward with a leisurely, almost predatory stride and a terrifying look on her face.

Pierce’s eyes widened in horror as her she smiled at him before dropping her fangs and continued towards him like a tiger stalking her pray.

Hawkeye and Coulson heard his screams as they reached the elevator. Neither man commented and looked straight ahead deliberately not making eye contact.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sad times for Coulson and Fury...and a shock for May.

Phil scanned the occupants of the office. Although he was delighted to see everyone, someone very important to him was missing and he could tell by the strained looks on their faces, the reason was not good.

“Where is she?”

Fury nodded to the side room off his office. Without speaking, Coulson headed towards the door. As he passed Melinda he briefly touched his hand to her face then continued to where Mrs Landingham was lying on a couch with a blanket over her. She looked pale and weak and for the first time in many years Coulson felt blood-tears well up in his eyes. He paused and blinked them back before they could spill over.

Darcy was sitting beside the older woman holding her hand talking quietly to her. She looked up and let out a muffled sob as she saw Coulson at the door. She kissed Fury’s secretary on her forehead and whispered “He’s here. Love you, Mrs L.” and stood up from her chair. As Coulson neared her, she threw her arms round him and hugged him tight no longer bothering to hide her own tears.

“She’s been waiting for you. I’m so sorry,” she sniffed. He looked at her tears and wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs then kissed her lightly. Darcy gave him a final squeeze and left the two of them alone.

Very gently and with no apparent effort, Coulson lifted Mrs Landingham from the couch and sat down with his back against the arm. He settled the woman so that her back rested against his chest and her head was leaning into his shoulder and wrapped one arm round her while the hand of his other arm tenderly stroked her hair as he kissed her crown.

She managed to give him a small smile along her characteristic greeting albeit weaker version of it, “Hello, dear.”

“Hello, Mrs Landingham. You promised me you would stay safe.”

“I know. But I guess I just couldn’t help myself.” She paused for a moment then added, “Darcy said I was ‘kick-ass’.”

Coulson huffed out a laugh and murmured softly into her hair, “You were kick-ass before the term was invented, Dolores Landingham.”

They sat quietly for a few moments then she spoke again. “You know, I’ve only ever loved two men in my life…and they were both called Phillip.”

Coulson didn’t speak as a blood-tear ran down his face. “Perhaps in another life…” he whispered.

“Perhaps,” she acknowledged then she tenderly patted his hand and sighed. Her eyes closed with a painful spasm and she barely held back a whimper before finally managing to say “It’s time.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I’m sure, dear.  Let me go to them.” Her voice was getting weaker and sounded as though she was in great pain. It  _was_ time.

He nodded against her head then kissed her one last time before taking her hand and lifting it to his mouth as his fangs dropped down. He gently broke the skin on her wrist frowning slightly as she gave a little gasp and then he began to drink taking the last of her life as she’d made him promise years before. It wasn’t many minutes until her breathing slowed then stilled completely.

Finally letting the blood tears tumble he closed his eyes he rested his cheek on her head and said, “I love you too.”

***

Coulson joined them back in Fury’s office; one look at his expression and they all knew it was over. Dolores Landingham was gone.

Fury stood with his face impassive but Coulson knew inside he was fighting a rage that was threatening to explode from deep within. In all her years as his secretary, Mrs Landingham had kept him focussed, she kept him controlled, she was his strength in the organisation; he would never forgive himself for not being there when she needed him. It was a feeling Coulson knew all too well…he would never forgive himself either.

Darcy choked out a cry and dropped her head into her hands repeating over and over that she was so sorry and that it was her fault. Coulson went to his assistant and crouched down in front of her gently stroking her hair as he spoke to her. “Darcy, you’re not to blame for any of this.”

She looked up at her boss her face streaked with tears and full of misery. “I am. I couldn’t save her, Boss. I tried. I really tried but…”

Coulson held her to him whispering into her hair. “Dolores had a heart condition, Darcy. It was too much for her; her heart just gave out. You did everything you could. You made her comfortable and you stayed with her until Fury and the others came. There was nothing more you could do.”

Coulson smiled sadly at her. “She said you called her ‘badass’.”

Through her tears, Darcy gave a snort of laughter “She was;  _really_ badass with the crossbow and all.”

“I think she was kind of proud you did.”

“Really?”

He nodded and placing his hands over hers he said, “Talk to me, Darcy. Tell me what happened.”

Getting her emotions under control, she took a deep breath and began to tell them what took place at V.L.A.D. HQ while they were fighting their own battles elsewhere in the city.  She’d been about to update Director Fury as instructed by Coulson when Barton, Romanoff, Hand and Blake appeared. Grateful she didn’t have to go over everything twice, Darcy took all the vampires and Mrs Landingham through her findings and gave the Director the phrase Coulson had told her.

His face twisting in a snarl, Fury barked instructions at them all on the take down of HYDRA.  The group, with the Director at their head, departed to carry out his orders leaving Mrs Landingham and Darcy in the office to keep the lines of communication open between them all and keep them apprised of any situation changes at V.L.A.D. HQ as the night wore on. They were under strict instructions to open the door to no-one save Coulson or Fury. If anyone else tried they were to contact one of the five immediately.

Darcy paused for a moment drifting off as she thought about what happened a few hours in. Coulson, gently squeezing her hand, brought her back enough to continue.

She described a terrible banging at the door and how, as she looked at the monitor above the frame, she recognised Vampire Sitwell in combat gear along with several other vampires she saw regularly at the offices including Rumlow. Forgetting what Fury had told her Darcy had gone to open it but Mrs Landingham put her hand on Darcy’s arm shaking her head. The older woman headed back to the Director’s desk and reached up taking his spare crossbow from its mountings then returned to Coulson’s assistant as she readied the weapon.

Darcy paused once again before continuing as though having the conversation between the Director’s secretary and the vampire on the other side of the door.

_“What can I do for you, Vampire Sitwell?”_

_“I’m here to get you to safety, Mrs Landingham.”_

_“I don’t thinks so, dear. I’m quite safe where I am.”_

_“I was sent by Director Fury himself, Mrs Landingham. There’s been a breach at V.L.A.D. He wants me to get you to a new location.”_

_“I see. Perhaps you can give me his exact words.”_

Darcy thought for a moment trying to put in words what she saw. It seemed to her as Sitwell paused and frowned that he didn’t appear to know the code phrase. Rumlow grinned then came forward to whisper into his ear and Sitwell nodded then spoke again.

_“The red queen was right.”_

_“Nice try, dear but I don’t think so. Vampire Sitwell and those who accompany you, I hereby revoke your right of entry to this place. Be gone forthwith unless summoned by one whose authority exceeds mine own.”_

“And they did,” Darcy finished.  “All except one guy so I guess he was human.”

“Can you describe him?” growled Fury mentally compiling a list of motherfuckers he was going to rip apart when he found them.

“I can do better then that,” said Darcy accessing the footage to the point which showed the vampires disappearing from Mrs Landinghams’s receiving area as though pulled by invisible strings. One lone figure stood shaking his head in disgust at the obvious vampire flaw. He looked up at the camera which brought a gasp from Melinda. It was Ward, his face a mask of hatred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, I know Mrs Landingham's husband's name was Henry but for this story I've changed it to Phillip.

**Author's Note:**

> If your a fan of Philinda works with a twist I recommend you pop over to https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/philinda-au-challenge for a read; some very original and excellent works.
> 
> Mrs Landingham has been “borrowed” from President Bartlet of ‘The West Wing’ – it’s my belief that Director Fury needs a Mrs Landingham.
> 
> Patty’s Tacos is a real food truck in NYC and the ‘Crazy Burrito’ is a genuine item on the menu. I haven’t been but I loved the name.


End file.
